Pipe cutter



Oct. 17, 1950 s. GI'NNS PIPE CUTTER Filed July 20, 1949v I IN VEN TOR.

Samue 61/7/18 B Y Patented Oct. 17, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT O FFl'CE Fire CUTTER Samuel Ginns, Brookline, Mass. .ApplicationJulyZi), 1949, Serial No. 1105350 3 Claims.

1 The present invention relates to a pipe cutter of the type which is used to cut .fianged, flared out, or non-flanged pipes. It finds great utility at the present time in the cutting of copper pipes of the smaller sizes used for oil lines and water heaters and coolers which may range from approximately three-eighths of an inch to an inch and a half in diameter. It is oftennecessary to cut the flared endof such pipes particularly in refitting the pipes in a line and it is highlydesirable under such circumstances to cut the pipe as near as possible to the flared or flanged end of the pipe in order to waste as little of the pipe length as possible. Thessame pipe may .be used over again if the pipe is cut right next to the flanged end, whereas if a greater length of the pipe-must be cut off to make a new fitting, it is often necessary to use an entirely new piece of pipe.

(The present invention provides .a great flexibility in enabling the workman to cut the pipe at the place he would like to cut it, and besides this furnishes a method of holding the pipe securely and in a firm position, always level while the pipe is being cut so that the cutting is squared with reference to the-axis of the-pipe.

The present invention in other respects employs the common method of tightening the cutting blade against the pipe to be cut. The blade is set in the center of the end jaw of a C-shaped frame-and a handle with a screw-threaded'stem drives through a fitting at the opposite end of the jaw carrying with it the clamping or tightening feed which rides over flanges at the sides of the jaw. A construction of a somewhat similar nature as far as the commonly known prior constructions are concerned is shown in the patent to Thewes, No. 1,833,980, issued December 1, 1931.

The present invention will be more fully described in the specification below when taken in connection with the drawings illustrating an embodiment of the same in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the pipe cutter of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a section line taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a fragmentary view as viewed from the left side of Figure 1.

Figure 4 shows another fragmentary view as viewed from the left side of Figure l with a modification in a portion thereof, and Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-'5 of Figure 1.

In the arrangement indicated in the drawings, the pipe cutter is provided with a C-shaped frame I at the top end 2 of which the cutting blade 3 is mounted. This cutting bladeisfreeflto rotate on a shaft 4 which is fixed in the .hubsf5 and 6, oneon either side of the end 20f theframe The shaft 4. is preferably threaded into thefhub 16 and may be unscrewed to remove and replacethe cutting vbladeia. At the other end I of theC-shaped frame there is a threaded sleeve 8, the axis .of which is directed to the cente of the cutting blade 3 and normally .is parallel with the side '9 of the C-shaped frame Whichisfianged in :a straight line as indicated .at ,liO on -the inner' side of the frame on both surfaces. The flange 10 is a guide .for the carriage ll. This carriageas indicated in Figures 2, 3, and 4 is -.composed of two frame sections l2 and I3 which meeton-a center line 14 and whichware provided with a recess l5 cooperating together. .to re'ceivea flat ,diskoriflangedend lit formed at. the end of the screw 11. .The two halves l2 and [-3 are held together by the threaded machine screws l8 and [9 which also serve as shafts for the freecollars ZlLan'd .25 on the shaft '18, and Q22 and '23 on the shaft 18. The screw ll which threads through the sleeve .-8 .and is directed in thedirection of the center of thecu-tting blade 3, has a turned. knob 24 projecting atits ,endsbeyond the ends I of the 'frame. When the knob-24, is turned, the whole carriage will move .over the .fiange .guide illtowards and away from. the cutting blade 3. The cutting blade 3 is preferably mounted in the center of the end 2 of the frame orto be more exact, it, is mounted .in'alignment with the center axis of the screw IT.

The collars or rings 20, 2!, 22 and 23 shown in Figure 5 are preferably all of the same size, but more important, each pair has together a width which is less than the spacing across the inner faces 25 and 26 of the supporting arms 2'! and 28 respectively of the halves l2 and I3. The collars 29, 2!, 22 and 23 may be slid along the shanks of the screws l8 and l9 which are smooth so that in effect the collars or washers may take any of three positions as explained just below.

Both sets of collars may be together at the left as viewed in Figure 5, leaving an open space at the right between the end collar or washer and the rounded surface 29 of the arm 21. The second position is where the washers are spaced one at either side of the supporting arms and the third position is where the washers are over to the right leaving a space between the rounded supporting end at and the Washer 23. The washers 2B and 2! maybe similarly positioned and the side supporting arms 21 and 28 may be similarly curved to provide substantially corresponding contours with the rounded surface of the washers.

It, of course, will be noted that the supporting arms 27 and 28 have a dip in their middle section at 3! (see Figure 1) between the position of the pairs of washers 20 and 2| on the one side and 22 and 23 on the other side.

The modification shown in Figure 4 is similar to the arrangement of Figures 1, 2, and 3 except that instead of two or more rings 22 and 23 as used in Figures 2 and 3, each shaft 18 or 19 has only one ring or cylinder 49 which is not as long in its axial length as the distance between the side supporting arms 26 and 27 of the carriage II. The cylinder 40 is free to move on the shaft I9 and may be positioned with an end either against the side 26 or the side 27, thus leaving a space at the opposite end.

If the pipe is to be out near the flare or flange at its end, the flange or flare may be positioned to fall in the recesses between the end face of the pair of washers or between the two washers, and in this manner, the cutting will be done close to the flared or flanged end. If on the other hand, it is not desired to cut the pipe near the flanged end, the two pairs of washers together with the B-shaped side supports will serve to hold the pipe while the cutting is done, The cutting is done in the usual manner by screwing the clamp against the knife edge until the pipe is held tightly and gradually advancing the screw as the pipe is being cut. The present invention will thereby serve both for the normal cutting and the cutting of the end of the pipe near the flange in practically any position.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A pipe cutter comprising an elongated C- shaped frame having a cutting wheel mounted for rotation at one end and a clamping carriage movably mounted in line therewith, a clamping screw threaded through the other end of the C-shaped frame in the direction of the cutting wheel and coupled to said carriage for advancing the carriage toward or away from the cutting wheel, said carriage having two parallelly mounted shafts each having supported freely and slidably thereon two cylindrical rings, each ring havin substantially uniform diameters, said rings having an unobstructed space therebetween and the thickness of said rings in the aggregate being substantially less than the space on the shafts on which the rings are slidable whereby the rings may be displaced along the shafts to receive a flare of the pipe to be cut.

2. In a pipe cutter having a C-shaped frame with a cutting wheel mounted at one end thereof and a clamping screw threaded in the other end thereof coupled with a carriage mounted to slide along the side of the frame, a pair of parallel shafts mounted across end supports of said carriage, said shafts being parallel to the axis of the cutting wheel and in a plane normal to the axis of the clamping screw, a cylindrical ring carried freely by each shaft having an unobstructed space on both sides of the ring on said shaft, said ring being of substantially less thickness than the space from one end support to the other along the shaft whereby said ring may be displaced parallel to the plane of the cutting wheel to receive a flare of the pipe to be cut.

3. In a pipe cutter having a C-shaped frame with a cutting wheel mounted at one end thereof and a clamping screw threaded in the other end thereof coupled with a carriage mounted to slide along the side of the frame, said carriage having end supports, a pair of parallel shafts mounting across the same, said shafts being parallel to the axis of the cutting wheel and in a plane normal to the axis of the clamping screw, a pair of narrow cylindrical rings carried freely by each shaft, the rings on any one shaft being together substantially less in thickness than the space from one support to the other along the shaft whereby said rings may be displaced in either direction along the shaft parallel to the plane of the cutting wheel to receive a flare of the pipe to be out between the support and the ring.

SAMUEL GINNS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,064,655 Johnson June 10, 1913 1,215,120 Cramer Feb. 6, 1917 1,881,020 McFarland Oct. 4, 1932 1,968,857 Shafer Aug. 7, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 70,989 Germany of Nov. 15, 1892 

